Rice football knows the math on 2-3 starts

Rice University's head coach David Bailiff encourages his team in the second quarter. Photos of Rice University football game against Western Kentucky University at Rice Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015, in Houston. ( Elizabeth Conley / Houston Chronicle ) less

Rice University's head coach David Bailiff encourages his team in the second quarter. Photos of Rice University football game against Western Kentucky University at Rice Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015, in ... more

Photo: Elizabeth Conley, Staff

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Rice quarterback Driphus Jackson (6) keeps on his feet despite tough defense by WKU's Destri White (13) in the first quarter. Photos of Rice University football game against Western Kentucky University at Rice Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015, in Houston. ( Elizabeth Conley / Houston Chronicle ) less

Rice quarterback Driphus Jackson (6) keeps on his feet despite tough defense by WKU's Destri White (13) in the first quarter. Photos of Rice University football game against Western Kentucky University at Rice ... more

Photo: Elizabeth Conley, Staff

Rice football knows the math on 2-3 starts

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The Rice football team has seen a 2-3 start before.

A 2-3 record can look like losses to Notre Dame and Texas A&M or Texas and Baylor. A 2-3 beginning can look like a season that is about to spiral out of control. It can also look like an opportunity to fix mistakes and reach a bowl game.

That's what the Owls did in 2014. They turned their 2-3 season into a Hawaii Bowl victory. What will Rice do in 2015?

The answer to that question lies in how well the Owls can answer this one: "Who is responsible for your 1/11th?"

That's the basic question Rice football coach David Bailiff had for his team after Saturday's 49-10 Conference-USA loss to Western Kentucky (4-1, 2-0) in which the Owls (2-3, 1-1) struggled to perform consistently across nearly every position. Rice will look to answer that question in preparation for their next conference game against Florida Atlantic (1-3, 0-1) in Boca Raton on Saturday.

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Bailiff talked about taking care of the 1/11th, meaning each man taking care of his own responsibilities. He started with his defense. He said too many players are worried about another person not covering their gap so they loosen the coverage on their gap and it creates a waterfall effect across the defense.

"That's part of our problem right now," he said. "Everybody just needs to do their job. … That's a trust issue and we've got to get back to where we all trust each other and settle in and trust and play with confidence."

"It's like we think right now if you do more than your 1/11th somehow, it'll make up for somebody else not doing their 1/11th. It's a team effort."

Gordon believed there is definitely a trust problem on who will cover their gap defensively, but again pointed to everyone doing their own 1/11th to make a strong defense.

"You've got to trust the guy next to you is going to be in his," Gordon said. "But when the play comes to you, you just have to make your plays."

The 1/11th that most fans may be wondering about is quarterback Driphus Jackson. Jackson – who was benched during the WKU game, but is still the Owls' starting quarterback – isn't playing with the same gusto and swagger from a year ago. Jackson finished the Week 5 game with a dismal stat line of five completions off 10 attempts and one interception. He threw for a meager 87 yards.

Bailiff said that's because Jackson is putting a lot of extra responsibility on himself.

"He's trying to make sure everything is perfect," Bailiff said. "You win football games by working hard and having fun. He's been working hard, but he hasn't been having a lot of fun."

By the start of his press conference on Monday, Bailiff had met with Jackson for two separate meetings, in which he asked his fifth-year senior to remember how his love for the game all started.

"I told him he's got to go back to when he was a kid in his backyard dreaming of being great," he said. "It's all about him getting that back and having fun."